Re: ADD/ADHD Controversy

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ADD/ADHD Controversy

Chosen7Stone 11-06-2007, 12:43 AM
In the 1990s, the number of diagnoses of ADD (Attention-Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) exploded in the U.S. and U.K. Some people argue that this is because the conditions were misunderstood and misdiagnosed before then. Others say that today, ADD/ADHD is used to explain away and ignore misbehavior in children who are not properly disciplined by parents and teachers, spawning (somewhat serious) jokes such as these:

What are your thoughts? Is there such a thing as ADD/ADHD at all? Is it overdiagnosed, or are many children misdiagnosed? What are your thoughts on the use of medication, such as Ritalin, to treat children who have been diagnosed as having ADD or ADHD?

One and only warning: If, during this discussion, you get ugly toward another member of this forum, you will be banned from this thread.

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Re: ADD/ADHD Controversy

shamrocknyc 11-06-2007, 11:00 PM
Excellent topic Chosen7Stone, I've thought about this a lot myself. My 3rd grade teacher pushed to have me evaluated for ADD (this was '93-'94), my parents complied and I spent several sessions at the University of MN visiting several specialists. Turns out, my "disorder" was more of a boredom with my third grade teacher. We spent the entire year listening to rote instruction and doing worksheets, no big surprise I wasn't paying attention.

Now I'm on the other side of the fence, I'm student teaching in a 5th grade classroom in Harlem and I have two students who would definitely fit into the ADHD category. Neither one has been officially diagnosed and neither one is medicated as it is totally up to the parents whether or not they want their kid to be tested. We're in November now and while both students still have their moments of disruptiveness, it has been curbed a great deal as the classroom teacher and I have gotten to know them better. One boy has a behavior chart on his desk that is stamped for every that he stays on task. The chart is sent home to his parents every day and he gets a reward from them at the end of a good week. In his case, we are EXTREMELY lucky to have such great parent cooperation and involvement. The other boy has a deal with the teacher; she will not make him sit behind his desk all day as long as he is on task. For example, he will often stand to take notes or sit on the class rug to do his work. She also moved him to his own space rather than with a group. I wouldn't have tried this myself, thinking of it as a very isolating action, but the boy didn't complain at all and has improved vastly since.

My conclusion: ADD/ADHD is a real condition; whether it is a cause of nature or nurture...I have NO idea. It has turned into an obsession in this country and is way over diagnosed. Knowledge of the condition can be good or bad for the student. I have seen students take advantage of the situation and use the assistance schools offer them as an unnecessary crutch. However, the knowledge of the disorder lets kids know that there's nothing wrong with them, it's just a struggle they have to deal with. One of the aforementioned fifth graders asked me if he was "bad" the other day, it was really sad. It is up to teachers and parents to educate themselves on ADD/ADHD and other learning disorders and to find ways to encourage children to keep at it. As teachers, we definitely have a responsibility to find out what works with individual children and to keep cheering them on.

I'm interested to hear what others think.

Re: ADD/ADHD Controversy

Chosen7Stone 11-10-2007, 11:54 PM

shamrocknyc wrote:
Turns out, my "disorder" was more of a boredom with my third grade teacher.

ROFL!!! Wow, that sent me rolling -- thank you for this story. :)

My "little" brother, when he was in middle school, was thought by his teachers to have ADD or ADHD. He's going to be 20 next month, so I guess this would be around 1998 or 1999. Well, my mom refused to put him on any medication that would modify his behavior -- she strongly felt that putting chemicals in his system to subdue him would not only take away those unwanted "symptoms," but that they would also steal the life and energy that made him who he was. Needless to say, after removing caffeine and excess sugar from his diet, and being a little more strict with what behavior was acceptable in-school, my brother was fine.

On the flipside, my best friend's nephew is 8 years old and can't sit through a 30-minute TV show without being distracted or growing bored. He loses focus and interest in things that most boys his age would be entralled by -- so he's one I truly do see as fitting the description. But even still, I'm so reluctant to say "Prescribe some Ritilin for that boy!" Because it's true - the children I see on behavior-modifiers do lose something to them.

*Love in Christ from Mary*
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Re: ADD/ADHD Controversy

Mommy2Lots 11-17-2007, 6:21 PM
I think ADD and ADHD are real conditions.

However, since the symptoms closely relate common childhood behaviors, there is certainly room for misdiagnosis.

I firmly believe that if a child is suspected to have this disorder, that a mental evaluation should definitely be done, but shouldn't be the only determining factor. There is a brain scan that shows the differences between a patient with these disorders and one who does not have them. That scan should be done in all suspected cases.

I think that alone would help alleviate some of the misdiagnosis problems (either that or bring attention to a big problem that needs looking at, if there really are that many kids with this).

My gift (what I call my stepkids) son has ADD. He's had all the tests and it's been proven with him. However, I have seen kids diagnosed with this that seem to be just "normal" (whatever that is) kids who misbehaved a couple times and are then labeled as a problem child and it starts a cycle of "there must be something wrong with him or her" and goes from there to the ADD or ADHD diagnosis. Confused [*-)]

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Re: ADD/ADHD Controversy

Panditha82 12-02-2007, 4:52 PM
I have ADHD.

I consider it a gift in many ways:

It has allowed me to have a imagination comparable to authors, artists and the such thus why i am a writer, artist, and anything that involves creativity.

I have a patience level which i dont know is due to my "condition:" but i dont see it or have seen it in my mom however my dad was much this way and he was thoght to have it as well

its hard for me becuase finding work even now as an adult, i dare not mention it, beucase people think ADHD means im super hyper( i can be and am sometimes, even with my medication), i am learning disabled and such is the reason why i dont do good on tests, or math( sooo did that mean that Einstein was a dummy? or how about Mark Ryden, or, other authors etc.... ), its hard for me to mention but you see the symptoms such as, sometimes forgetting to put something away like a baby bottle. or some paper, thus with this people start to thing what if he leaves my child alone etc. etc. etc.

I explain things diffrently than "normal people" such is why my posts are much longer than most here because I am a person who is detailed.

When absorbed in someting i am best left alone. other wise i get angry this is when i am painting, or reading, etc. But not when i am working, socializing doing the NORMAL stuff.

back to what I was saying about people(parents) and ADHD they thkink it means I cant function with children, i am irresponsible, yet they dont take the true positives into fact that I am and my refrences etc. have backed this up. my former employers whose kids are old enough now not to need sitters, or my former employment places are suprised when I tell them they didnt hire me due to the fact that I had adhd?! errr... okkkay.

worse yet the whole BEING SPACY THING, is another thing, one common misconception is that people with ADHD cannot think fast, and need to be given orders slowly.,.... LOL sorry no. this was a reason i was fired from my camp counselor position at one place... the director said i was not being an effective team member and the children would be negativly affected...

word of my discharge spread fast among the kids, (ages 4-5) and the teen camp counselors who i trained and was also helping out with as well as with the paernts and the co-director. a rally and a strike was held, to get me back I was in tears when i heard that :)

I was about to call and ask soo I was SUCH an ineffective camp counselor wasnt I Ann ;) she grunted and hung up

Autism went through this stage when first being discovered, and now is known that children with autism are just as smart, not delayed or whtaerver than "normal" kids... unfortunatly its not the same for kids iwth ADHD. focus on the positives NOT the negavitves

I am writing a book about myself, written by someone who HAS it, people who have Autism have written about what they have to make others see what its really like, why not someoine who does?

it will be entitled:

I am an artist, a teacher, a nanny, a writer, a car guy, oh yeah and I also have ADHD.

Also i make jokes about it, why? cause the ideas around it are quite stupid, much like with Autism deserves to be treated that way meaning, sterotypes mean nothing compared to reality.

medication?

I am on Adderall XR and I find it quite helpful to me for concentration on many things such as remembering other tasks other than what i am most intrested in(working with kids, art you know the deal) mostly studying, and dealing with boring stuff.

Judge Not yest ye be judged yourself-Jesus Christ

Re: ADD/ADHD Controversy

Panditha82 12-02-2007, 4:56 PM

shamrocknyc wrote:
t. As teachers, we definitely have a responsibility to find out what works with individual children and to keep cheering them on. I'm interested to hear what others think.

*bows to the all knowing one*

Judge Not yest ye be judged yourself-Jesus Christ